Narrative

A Child’s War

September 3rd, 1939. The day that would bring about the pain, suffering and deaths of over forty million people. Considered by many to be a continuation of the unsettled disputes of World War I, the main powers of WWII were Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States and the Soviet Union. Mass murders of Jews, homosexuals, Gypsies and other minorities, otherwise known as the Holocaust, began in 1933 and resulted in the unjust murder of over 6,000,000 Jews and 800,000 Poles. However, these minorities did receive aid from those courageous enough to rebel against the monstrous events taking place. Among these heroes were the Lisowski family.

Lasting for 6 bloody years, World War II was the beginning of great misery and torment for many. Witold was only 8 years old when the bloodshed began. He was born into a wealthy family as the youngest of 3 brothers: Janek, who was eight years older than Witold, Wiesław, who was four years older than Witold, and Witold. Due to the fact that the family was wealthy, Witold’s mother was not obligated to work, while Witold’s father was the sole provider for the family. The Lisowski family was generally normal, but not everything was as it seemed.

Wiesław and Witold had joined the Szare Szeregi, a secret scout group. Witold was a part of the Szare Szeregi from 1933 - 1934.  In order to join the group, he was sworn to an oath of secrecy to never disclose what was discussed in the meetings, even at risk of death or torture. He was a part of the youngest unit of the scouts called Zawiszaki, which meant ‘dependable people’. These two brothers operated in greatly differing units. Wiesław had been given arms and was ready and willing to fight in the war, while Witold’s tasks were more observant and educational. While studying hard, learning about firearms/war, and learning to be a strong leader in New Poland, Witold soon became a serious, dedicated scout. The dedication these scouts devoted to their country was and still is extremely admirable. Each time Witold left the house, he said goodbye to his mother as though he were leaving for a month. There was no guarantee he would see her ever again, and he wanted to be sure he said a proper goodbye.

This lifestyle did not continue for much longer, though. When WWII began, Witold’s father joined the army. He was not obligated to do so, as he had three sons, but he felt it was his duty. That same month, Witold’s father and uncle died in the war. A soldier came to Witold’s house to deliver the news about his father, and the soldier also notified them that Witold’s father had been buried 100 kilometers from Warsaw. Soon after, Witold’s mother bought her husband’s body from German soldiers and brought it back with her to Warsaw, where it was reburied. To be as sentimental as this is understandable; being able to visit the graves of loved ones is an important part of Polish culture.

After losing his father and uncle, Witold’s mother took care of him and her other sons. Her whole world had collapsed after the death of her husband, but she persevered and slowly adjusted to the sudden changes in her life. The Lisowski family owned a store at this time, and it was no easy task to keep it running. All three sons were given new responsibilities, because their mother had enough to worry about while trying to feed her sons. It was difficult to even earn enough money for a piece of bread. During the interview, Mr. Lisowski recalled having the responsibility to make sure they had enough confectionaries and cold meats needed to supply the store. His brothers had similar responsibilities. When Witold had more time, he worked by the Wisła river with a gardener. Additionally, Witold also had the responsibility of making sure the house was supplied with bread. He would stand in a queue, eagerly awaiting the bread that he would proudly bring home to his family. In some cases, however, the line would be up to 1/2 a mile long. Soon after, Mr. Lisowski said, “Kilka razy pamiętam, że pięc osób przed mną zamykała się okienko,” which means, “I remember that, often, when only five people remained in front of me, the window would close.” Maintaining a somewhat suitable lifestyle was quite difficult during the war, but the constant loss of loved ones was an even heavier burden to carry.  

Before the war had started, Witold had lived next door to the Inwentarz household, a Jewish family consisting of a mother, father, son and daughter. Witold’s family and the Inwentarz family were very close, and they often visited each other. Witold was particularly fond of Dudek, the son, as Dudek was only a couple years younger than Witold. The Lisowski family and the Inwentarz family also felt the same grievances. Just a few months after Witold’s father died, Dudek’s father was killed in a massacre.  During 1940, all Jewish people were ordered to leave their homes and to congregate to the ghetto, including the Inwentarz family. Dudek, his mother, and Rachela, his sister, were only allowed to take what they could carry. Completely isolated from the world outside the ghetto, they were surrounded by barbed wire, they lived with no production facilities, and survived without any money. Ultimately, the goal of gathering these 400 Jews in the ghetto, including Dudek and his family, was starvation. However, the prisoners persevered. Most of them managed to continue, even with the impossible challenges they faced. This was not achieved without aid from others. Jews inside the ghetto had secret contact with Poles outside. They would exchange goods for necessary items imperative survival in the ghetto. Additionally, Poles would sometimes enter the ghetto in exchange for Jews who would then leave the ghetto. In spite of these heroic acts, the Nazis still aimed for total extermination of all who resided in the ghetto, so they resorted to simply murdering all the occupants on the spot, or transporting entire populations of ghettos to concentration camps. Dudek’s mother was aware of the fact that every moment they spent in the ghetto led them one step closer to being transported to concentration camps, which would most likely lead to death, and she was determined to spare her children of the horrors that awaited them. She sent Rachela to a catholic convent, and she sent Dudek to live with a Polish family.  Immense bravery and courage would be needed to send one’s children off with utter strangers; the inner strength Dudek’s mother contained is unimaginable.

Rachela’s life without her mother was unbearable. Withering away, the extreme extent of the longing for her mother soon became apparent to Rachela. Living without her loving mother was so intolerable that Rachela decided to run away from the convent. She came back to the ghetto where she had first been forced to leave her mother, but by then, the ghetto had been liquidated, and all of the survivors had returned to Warsaw. To have such limitless love for one’s mother, to return to a place where so much suffering was endured, is almost unfathomable.

In order for Dudek to live with the aforementioned Polish family, Dudek’s mother had to promise that she would give the house, store, and everything with it to the family that was hosting him. However, the sons of the family threatened to reveal the fact that their parents were housing a Jew, unless they immediately removed Dudek from their home. No other options open to him, Dudek left the house and hid in bushes, as advised by the mother from the aforementioned home. Dudek soon became somewhat of an animal, eating scraps of potato skins and whatnot, in order to survive. Unlike Rachela, Dudek was eager to be independent. He was not constantly by his mother’s side, and he did not wish to be. When winter rolled in, Dudek had reached the limits in which he could survive, and shelter was imperative in order to survive the extreme cold that smothered all of Poland like a heavy quilt, too heavy to be lifted.

In dire condition, Dudek came to the Lisowski family for help. They welcomed him with open arms, and he was soon staying in a room in the upper half of the house. Despite the lucky conditions Dudek lived in, he was still unhappy. Dudek was hidden away from the world; he was not allowed to move about, for fear of suspicion from visitors in the house, and the windows were covered, to ensure no one would see him. Four months later, Dudek received a request from his aunt to come stay with her with a position as a shepherd. He asked Witold’s mother if he was allowed to go, but she strongly disapproved of the idea. Witold’s mother was frightened that Dudek would, sooner or later, fall into the hands of the enemy, as he was easily discernable as a Jewish child. After several failed attempts to bring Witold’s mother around, she finally agreed to the proposal. On the day Dudek left, while he was saying goodbye to Witek, Dudek asked Witold a life-threatening request. By asking Witold for his identification documents, which certified Witold as a catholic Pole, Dudek was putting everything at risk. If Dudek were caught and tortured by the Nazis until he told them everything he knew, not only he would be in danger of death, but Witold as well. Witold, however, complied with Dudek’s request, not fully aware of the danger he was putting himself in. Although there was a high risk of danger, Dudek was not caught by the Germans, and he did well as a shepherd. Years later, he was liberated by the Red Army. While bidding farewell to Witold, he informed him that he was going to travel to Israel next, where he had other family.

Witold’s family was liberated soon after the Warsaw Uprising. Later, he entered officers school and became a soldier. Afterwards, he studied in Warsaw University, became a Doctor of History, and he also achieved a PhD. in History. Now, he works in the field of history and has composed over 32 articles. During the interview, Mr. Lisowski was asked what kept him going all this time, and what motivated him in these dark times. He responded, saying, “I had a wonderful mother. I’m the son of a soldier who had a heroic death. I had wonderful brothers. I had responsibilities. Responsibility #1 was to avenge my father’s death … and I joined the army and went with the soldiers to go after Hitler’s men. If you look at all my medals, you will see that’s the path I took with my army friends.  They are evidence that I was a good soldier.” Mr. Lisowski’s story, among many other WWII veteran stories, serves as an example for all future generations. One should never back down when faced with unfamiliar, frightening situations. Humans cannot admit defeat simply because they have had enough. People must strive, persevere, and overcome the challenges that lie ahead. We are extremely fortunate to have been able to listen to a interview such as this. To be able to hear a firsthand account of the horrors that went on was a great opportunity to look at the history of WWII from a different perspective than from that of a history textbook. These interviews must be heard by future generations, to prepare them for the harsh, life-changing choices they will have to make, and to also teach them this lesson: Never give up.